THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22504, 23 February 1935, Page 23

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME PROPHETS. Yours is the praise, if mankind Hath not' as yet in its march Fainted and fallen, and died! . . . See! in the rocks of the world • Marches the hosts of mankind, A feeble, wavering line! Where are they tending , . . In such hour of need Of our fainting dispirited race, I Ye, like angels, appear, . i Radiant with ardour divine. ... At your voice Panic, despair, flee away. Ye move through the ranks, recall The stragglers, refresh the nut worn, Praise, reinspire the brave! Order, courage, return. Eyes rekindling,. and prayers, Follow your steps as ye go. Ye fill up the gaps in our files Strengthen the wavering line, Stablish, continue our march. On, to the bound of the waste. On, to the City of God. —Matthew Arnold. A PRAYER. 0 Almighty God, Father and Lord of all the creatures, Who hast disposed all things and all clmnces so as may best glorify Thy wisdom, and serve the ends of Thy justice and magnify Thy mercy by secret and undiscernible ways, bringing good out of evil: I most humbly beseech Thee to give me wisdom from above, that I may adore Thee and admire Thy ways and footsteps, which are in the great deep and not to be searched out, teach me to submit to Thy providence in all things, to be content in all changes of person and conditions, to be temperate ia prosperity and to read my duty in the lines of Thy mercy, and in adversity to be meek, patient, and resigned; and to look through the cloud, that I may wait for the consolation of the Lord and the day of redemption; in the meantime doing my duty with an unwearied diligence, and an undisturbed resolution, having no fondness for the vanities or possessions of this world, but laying up my hopes in heaven and the rewards of holy living, and being strengthened with the spirit of the inner man, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. —Jeremy Taylor, A TEXT FOR EACH DAY’S MEDITATION. Sunday.—“ Shew me Thy ways, 0, Lord;, teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth; for Thou art the God of my Salvation: on Thee do I wait all the day.”— Psalm 25:4 and 5. Monday.—" I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord -in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord/’—Psalm 27:13 and 14. Tuesday.—" The angel of the Lord enoarapeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. D taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”—Psalm 34:7 and 8. Wednesday.—“ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholderth him with Hi's hand.'”—P-salm 37:23 and 24. Thursday.—“ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear. Be still, and know that I am God. The Lord, of Hosts is .with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” “Selah.”—Psalm 46:1 and 2:1011. . Friday.—“ When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know, for God is for me. 1 In God will I praise His word: in the Lord will I praise His word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.”—Psalm 56:9 to 11. Saturday.—“ In God is my salvation and glory, the rock of my , strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at alt times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him. God ia a refuge for us.” “Selah,”—Psalm 62:7-8. - • —H. R. Higgins in A.C.W. V A NEW LINE OF ADVANCE. ’' The minister of Highgate Congregational Church, London, has entered upon an enterprising venture in gathering a number of men and women to act as' storm-troopers. Amongst the plans for the campaign are an open-air meeting (not a service) outside the church aftej evening service. At this meeting speakers will j give reasons why they are Christians, and ■ invite questions from the passers-by. The I troopers will try to get into closer touch with next-door neighbours. Some of them have undertaken to hold open-air meetings of a local political party at which it is said attacks have been made on Christianity and the churches, with a view to answering these attacks, either in a friendly way at the meetings, or by holding a Christian open-air 'meeting on another night at the. same place. EMPIRE SERVICE AT CANTERBURY. It is announced that the Festival Week of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, which has been fixed for June 15-22, 1935, will open with an Empire Service, to which all the dominion Prime ‘Ministers visiting England in connection with the King’s Silver Jubilee will be invited, as well as High Commissioners and representatives from every Empire organisation in the Kingdom. During this service, at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will be present, dedication will be made of the gift of a .piece of cathedral stone, carved in the shape of a Canterbury cross, for the 'chief cathedral in every part of the Empire. THE CHURCH AND LEADERSHIP. The Bishop of 1 Goulburn, the Right Rev. E. H. Burgmann, has few qualms respecting the ultimate triumph of the Christian Church. He describes it as the toughest institution in history, and considers that it will eventually grapple with the problems confronting it as it has done in the past. But this leader among churchmen does not think that the * church is at present equipped with the necessary knowledge and qualifications to lead the world to a solution of modern problems, though it can, and should, keep before those who are better equipped, and whose task it may be considered it is to seek to solve these problems, the necessity for finding solutions. At the same time the bishop does not despair of the church becoming equipped for the great task. Among other things it needs to have a thorough grip of the situation, but, given this, it will ultimately prevail, seeing that it deals with fundamental things on which the more superficial things of life are bayed. ' DRAMA IN CHURCHES. A few months ago I mentioned the matter of Religious Drama in the Churches. Since then the movement has grown apace. I heard on all hands of religious plays being performed. At this season the Nativity play is, naturally, in evidence. There is great scope for dedevelopment along this line. Oberammergau revealed to me once more the enormous possibilities of a reverent representation of the life of our Lord. Some of the plays, however, need drastic pruning We had one over the radio recently, and it struck me as crude, and not likely to do much good. But in right hands and with due regard to the truth of the Story as against legend, it i s capable of becoming a chief means of Christian teaching.—Rev. F. C. Spurr, in A.C.W, THE DUFF MISSIONARY LECTURES. The Duff Lectures—founded by a son of Dr Duff, the famous missionary in India, in memory of his father —were given at Edinburgh and Glasgow during the last fortnight in January by Professor D. H. Westermann, director of the Internationa! Institute of African Languages and Cultures. His subject will be “ Christianity and Africa,” and under this title Dr Westermann will discuss the problem of European control in Africa, the African as a religious being, the task of the missionary, Christian literature and other questions. Dr Westermann was for some years a missionary in West Africa, and has travelled also in Kenya, Uganda, the Sudan, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The lectureship was founded in 1879. and lectures are given every four yea/s on a missionary subject. Former lecturers have included Dr M'Lagan, Dr Robert E. Speer, and Dr J. H. Oldham.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES. “ Mind ” is the subject of the lessonsermon in a)! Churches of Christ, Scientist, to-morrow. The Golden Text is: “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Among the citations which comprise the lesson-sermon are the following; “Many, 0 Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” (Ps. 40). “Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual understanding, shows clearly that all is Mind, and that Mind is God, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience—that is, all power, all presence, all Science. Hence all is in reality the manifestation of Mind.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” by Mary Baker Eddy, page 275, 20.')